The morris peters co



No. 62|,339. Patented Mar. 2l, |899.

A F. E. & F. H. HOFMANN.

DEVICE FOB FEEDING FUEL T0 BOILER FIR-ES. (Applcatign led J\ x 1yr l2, 189B.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

y Mfg/ No. 62|,339- Patenfd Mar. 2|, |399.

F.. E. & F. H. HoFMANN.

DEVICE FDH FEEDMG FUEL T0 BUILER FIRES.

(Application led July 22, 1898,: (No Model.) `2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

UNTTRD STATES PATENT Trios.

FRIEDRICH'EMIL I-IOFMANN, OF GERINGSWALDE, AND FRIEDRICH HERMANN HOFMANN, OF SCHNBERG, GERMANY.

DEVICE FOR FEEDING FUEL TO BOILER-FIRES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 621,339, dated March 21, 1899.

Appiimion ined my 22, 189s.

T0 @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Beit known that we, FRIEDRICH EMIL HoF- MANN, aresident of Geringswalde, and FRIED- RICH HERMANN HORMANN, a resident of Schnberg, near Waldheim, Kingdom of Saxony, Germany, subjects of the King of Saxony, have invented a new and useful Improved Device for Feeding Fuel to Boiler- Fires, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The present invention consists of a fuelfeed device for boiler and other fires by Ineans of which the fuel is evenly fed over the grate.

In order to render the present specification more easily intelligible, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference denote similar parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device; Fig. 2, a side elevation after the llin g or feed operation has taken place; Fig. 3, the position of the parts during said operation; Fig. 4, a sectional sideelevation of the device in the act of feeding the fuel; Fig. 5, the position of the parts during said action; Fig. 6, a section al elevation showing the parts in the position occupied after the shovel has been returned to its initial position, and Fig. '7 the position of the parts at this period.

The shovel A is mounted on a shaft b and in ring is suddenly moved from the position shown at Fig. 2 to that of Fig. 4, the shape of the shovel being so chosen that the movement of the same around its pivot will throw the fuel thereon different lengths, and thus scatter the same evenly over the grate, as indicated at Fig. 4. The fuel is also fed to the shovel in an even' layer through opening h by means of the trap-door B, which is gradually swung around its pivot n, and the roll D, mounted at the bottom of the fuel-hopper at the opening g of the same and being provided with recesses or pockets ff f2 therein to receive the coal or other fuel. The hopper is provided with a rack k, between the bars of which the arms of a roll extend as the said roll is rotated, and thus push the small parts of fuel through the said rack onto the roll and expel the larger lumps through a weighted trap-door l, Fig. 4. When the roll D is ro- Serial No. 686,595. (No model.)

lfated, the fuel at the opening g of the hopper falls successively into the pockets f f f2 a'nd is distributed from them evenly over the shovel A by means of the gradually-opening trap-door B. The shovel-operating mechanism is then released and the contents of the said shovel thrown in an even layer onto the grate of the fire. The shaft m of the roll D is geared to the shaft of the arms i at o and, further, carries an eccentric r, which operates the trap B by means of the arm p, held against said eccentric by any suitable means. (The weight of the fuel on the trap Will in most cases be sufcient.) To the shaft m is, further, attached a spirally-formed eccentric or cam s to operate the shovel. The upper end of a double-arm lever if rests against this cam, the lower end of said arm having a tooth-segment which is in engagement with the gear c of the shaft b of the said shovel A. A strong spring o acts to hold the upper arm of lever if fast against the cam s. Thus when the upper arm of lever t has reached the end of the cam s, Figs. 3 and 4, the shovel is full, and as soon as the end slips off the end of the cam the spring o acts to throw the shovel A over, Figs. 4 and 5, and eject the fuel over the grate. The movement of the shovel is limited bythe stop or stops d. After this has taken place the cams gradually returns the shovel to its initial position, during which operation it is also refilled for the next operation.

We claim as our inventionl`. In a fuel-feed mechanism for boilers, the combination of a hopper having feed roll thereunder and having distributing rotary arms and cooperating grate therein, a trap below said roll and means for gradually opening the same and a shovel pivotally mounted under said trap in the ireway at the end nearest the re and means for simultaneously releasing said shovel and spring pressing the same around its pivot to discharge its contents into the fire and then subsequently returning it to its initial position, 4simultaneously opening the trap above it and rotating the feedroll substantially as described.

2. The combination of a hopper having a grate therein and a series of rotary arms to IOO hopper having pockets as specified, a trap below said feed-roll and a shovel pivotally mounted as specified below said trap and means for simultaneously rotating said distributing-arms, the feed-roll and gradually swinging down the trap and returning the shovel to its initial position, and then releasing the said shovel to spring around its pivot and discharge its con ten ts substantially as described.

The combination of a hopper having grate 7s and rotary arms i an opening g and a rotary feedroll I) therein, an opening 7L below said feed-roll and a trap B to period ieally close same, a shovel A mounted on shaft Z), a spiral cam mounted above said shaft, a gear on said 

